Dear Uni
Dear Uni,
I first met you when I was just a 14 year old trying to find a new home. I had just moved to Champaign the previous summer, went to Next Generation middle school for one year, and still felt like I belonged in South Bend Indiana and not here. You welcomed me with open arms but did not accept my twin brother (sorry Isaac). It was weird starting an adventure without him but you helped me through it by introducing me to all the wonderful people who I call my friends. Our relationship started off with a somewhat shaky start. I did not expect the workload that you threw at me, also your friend Kenney Gym’s fitness sucks. Although sometimes I struggled, you never left me behind. Your warm atmosphere and closeness guided me to talk to my teachers and figure out a plan for success. You were kind enough to give the subbies their own floor where we played countless hours of FPS video games, laughed and studied. Soon enough you released us from our Uni Period study halls, and let us explore on our own. You gave us freedom, but not too much. You still checked in on us quarterly and made sure your subbie buddies kept an endearing eye on us. Soon enough it was freshman year. We were still the young ones but not the youngest. We were stuffed into the dreaded 2nd floor and you pounded us with Bio documentaries and Leff lectures. Freshman year was when we got into the swing of things. We realized that going to Cocomero before fitness was a terrible idea, and you taught us that the Sophomores were not all that scary. Sophomore year was a blur. Everything seemed to pass by so quickly (except for Mr. Butler’s slideshows. Those felt like the entire school period combined). You started preparing us for the future with the PSAT and taught us how to rule the 2nd floor. Before you knew it we were upperclassman. Junior year. How you love juniors. I’m sorry that we were so stressed. The ACT and SAT is literally all that we talked about, but at least we knew how to deal with the homework load better than the years before. This year you really became our home. At least for me, this is the year I truly felt 100% comfortable. Thank you for giving us Leff again and letting us choose so many electives. I really appreciate it. Now we are Seniors. Crazy right? I just got accepted to my first college and the idea of leaving you is becoming more and more real. I know that I only have a limited number of days left with you and I won’t take them for granted I promise. Thank you for guiding me the way you did, and for all the support you have given me for the past 4.5 years. Can’t wait for last semester for you. Let's make this one the best one yet.
Thank you for everything,
Ethan
Reading this post actually made me really sad. This year has made me reflect a lot on all the crazy times we've had at Uni, and it's kinda scary to be leaving for a whole different school in less than a year. I agree with you that we should make the next semester the best one yet! Especially because we'll all be done with college applications finally.
ReplyDeleteAs I read your post, I laughed but also realized how many experiences I have that took place at Uni. The 3+ years that I've been at Uni have passed by in the blink of an eye. I remember subbie year like it was yesterday. Thank you for sharing this post and reminding me to appreciate the time I have left here.
ReplyDeleteYou have a super sweet connection with Uni. I am slightly jealous that I could not experience the same since I am a transfer, but I can relate with the new experience thing. I hope you enjoy your time in university, at least Uni taught you how to handle a huge workload and stress.
ReplyDeleteI felt this.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine what it's like to leave Uni, but you've made me more appreciative of the year and a half I have left.
Your post really hits home. I still have one and a half years at Uni left. As a subbie, five years felt like such a long time. Now, it feels like it's not enough. It's bittersweet that we make so many memories at Uni but have to leave in order to pursue the rest of our lives. Despite the struggle, I wouldn't trade my experience at Uni for anything. I've made more friends than I ever thought I would (including you seniors).
ReplyDeleteI will miss having your class around next year. I can't promise there won't be a couple tears, but I'll be sure to send you guys off with a big smile.
I love that this post is formatted as a letter. It makes it seem like Uni is its own entity, which it kind of is, in a way. Putting things into a broader perspective like this is nice, because I know for me, I get so caught up and unhappy with the present, that I forget all of the good times we have here. These past couple of years, though difficult, have shown us that our community (especially Class of 2019) is stronger than a lot of us had realized. It's pretty cool. Excellent post!
ReplyDeleteI love how creative and nostalgic this post is. The past few years have been a complete blur and subbie year felt like yesterday. Every year I'm sad to see the seniors go, both because a lot of cool people I know are leaving, but also it brings me one year closer as well. It will be sad to see you guys go but college is a completely new experience and I'm sure you will have a blast.
ReplyDeleteWhy am I crying... I have spent hours thinking about leaving Uni. I tell myself that I'm ready but in complete honesty, I don't know if I will be by graduation. This place is where I met my best friends (including you!!), my favorite teachers, and myself. This place has seen us all grow and make vital personal changes to continue becoming the best versions of ourselves. This is home. But also, I find comfort in knowing that it will always be home. These memories that you mentioned in this sweet letter are forever embedded in my heart, and will stay with us as we leave for college and beyond. I agree with you - let's make this last semester the best one yet.
ReplyDeleteThis post made me cry. Today I realized there are only 2 weeks left in the semester. Which means we only have one semester left. For once I'm not trying to find ways to justify the school year coming closer and closer to an end and instead I find myself trying to imagine how long it can last. Uni really feels like a home this year. Like I thought I was comfortable last year but here we are! This is a really cool post and brought back some amazing memories, and made me see some stuff I'm grateful for (like Mr. Leff twice! and being done with standardized testing!) so thank you for this post ethan
ReplyDeleteThis post makes me realize how fast high school went by... I still have very distinct memories of playing begone or playing soccer outside early subbie year. To think that happened over four years ago is crazy to me.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you wrote this letter and said "Thank you for everything" at the end of this letter shows that you've prospered in every aspect of high school. You did it Ethan. Personally, I don't know if I can confidently say "Thank you" to Uni. While I've been through some amazing times at Uni, there have been very difficult times as well. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteEthan, this blog post was so sentimental. I love the way you wrote it and how you showed your love for Uni. My friends and I constantly talk about the negatives of Uni, but this blog post made me appreciate all the things that Uni has done for me. Like you said, I am not happy about the work load, but Uni is like a family that welcomes you with open arms.
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